His Quest To Create The Perfect Hammock Led To A Million-Dollar, One-Man Business

Working in the home construction business just before the Great Recession, Wes Johnson, now 44, spotted an opportunity for an exciting side gig that tapped into his passion for the outdoors.

Noticing a growing number of rugged hammocks popping up on the college campuses around him, Johnson, based in Raleigh, N.C., saw a gap in the marketplace for one that was ultra-comfortable to sleep in. When he met two brothers named Lawson who were traveling to outdoor festivals selling hand-sewn hammocks, he bought their inventory with a $30,000 loan from a friend and soon found himself running a side business selling them.

Johnson quickly set to work perfecting the hammock designs, experimenting with tent poles and hammocks to come up with a prototype for what he hoped would be the perfect sleep hammock—which some campers prefer to sleeping bags. He turned to a local team to make the hammocks. “Literally, they were ladies out in the middle of nowhere who had a little cut-and-sew facility,” recalls Johnson.

That was in 2005. Lawson Hammock has since evolved from a side gig to a profitable, full-time, one-man business that, he says, will bring in $1 million in revenue this year.

Wes Johnson grew his business selling rugged hammocks that double as a tent to $1 million in revenue as a solopreneur.Lawson Hammocks

Johnson is part of an exciting trend that is relevant to anyone who is starting a business today—the rise of million-dollar, one-person businesses. The number of U.S.-based nonemployer firms—those with no paid employees other than the owners— that generate $1 million to $2.49 million in revenue is on the upswing. It hit 36,161 in 2016, up 1.6 percent from 35,584 in 2015. That number is up 35.2% from 26,744 in 2011, according to data released in late June by the U.S. Census Bureau. Nonemployer firms are generally one-person businesses, but some are partnerships or family businesses.

By finding creative ways to extend what one person can accomplish beyond the norm, these hyper-efficient operations are able to bring in revenue beyond what one-person firms usually do, providing valuable lessons that other solo entrepreneurs can apply to reap greater rewards from their businesses. The average nonemployer firm in the U.S. brings home $47,153 in revenue.

Johnson is also part of an equally exciting trend within a trend—the rise of one-person manufacturing firms. It used to be hard to try manufacturing unless you had a substantial team, but now, thanks to sites like Maker’s Row and Alibaba, it’s gotten easier for ultra-lean businesses to break into the field, using outsourced services.

In 2016, there were 83 nonemployer firms bringing in $1 million to $2.49 million, and another 4,543 close on their heels, with $500,000 to $999,999 in revenue. While most manufacturers have employees, this fledgling trend shows what is possible in the future, as the necessary resources become more accessible to ultra-lean businesses.

So how did Johnson pull it off? Here are some strategies you can apply to your own business.

Find a low-risk way to get started. Once he’d lined up a way to create his products, Johnson put up a simple ecommerce website and began selling the hammocks online. Although he sold a few units here and there, it was time consuming to make the hammocks and produce them. He began tweaking the product to improve the process, incorporating elements such as poles made by another company. “It was difficult and time consuming,” says Johnson, who was working from his home.

By the end of his first year, Johnson estimates he brought in about $10,000 in revenue. At the time, he sold the hammocks for $139. His customers included hardcore backpackers, “weekend warrior” types, Boy Scouts and college students—as well as people who wanted to lounge in the hammocks in their backyard, he says.

As the business grew, Johnson found himself increasingly frustrated. “It was too time- and labor- intensive,” he says. “If I got an order for a few units I was excited but also overwhelmed.” Each time an order came in, another thought tempered his excitement: “It’s going to take me hours to piece this together.”

Johnson became so frustrated he almost considered shutting down his store. “I had to make a call on, ‘Hey, do I try to figure out a way to grow this and make it scalable—or do I just get out of it, pull the plug on the website, and get rid of the inventory I have?” he recalls.

Recognize what you don’t know. Although he had not yet figured out how to run the business scalably, Johnson concluded didn’t want to give up on it. “I did enjoy it,” he says. “I like the outdoor industry. I did think there was more potential for growth.”

Johnson kept at it, pitching his hammocks to retailers. When signed on his first retailer, which had nine stores, that victory gave him the impetus to improve his processes. He knew they would order in larger quantities and needed a better way to keep up with demand.

On the hunt for a manufacturer to help him, Johnson traveled to a trade show. He soon found a manufacturer in China who made tents for large outdoor companies in the U.S. and asked the firm to create a prototype for the hammocks, which can also be used as a tent. He outsourced warehousing and shipping to companies overseas, to extend what he could do as a solo entrepreneur.

By 2006, revenues were in the $20,000 to $30,000 range. The business grew gradually with each passing year. When the recession hit in 2008, Johnson realized there was an opportunity to expand, as people cut back on pricey vacations and turned to camping instead. He began devoting more time to the business and in 2010, left his former career in real estate development.

“It was good timing to get out of the building industry,” he recalls. Although he was a little nervous about making the transition from traditional employment, he also recognized he’d taken some of the risk out of the equation. “At that point, there was cash flowing,” he says. “I knew there was enough to get by and pay my bills.”

Still, he had moments of uncertainty. To take a break from the business and recharge, Johnson would do flow yoga in his free time.

Get third-party validation. When Johnson was confident his design was right, he reached out to journalists in publications campers read and asked them to try the Blue Ridge Camping Hammock. He made sure to have great photos available so they could quickly run with the story. “A lot of writers want content, if you make it easy for them,” he says. Backpacker and Outside magazines rated his Blue Ridge Camping Hammock highly. His hammocks are now sold in Bass Pro Shops, Cabela’s, L.L.Bean, and Dick’s Sporting Goods. To make sure his business is profitable, he gradually raised the price to $199, to reflect his costs.

By 2015, Johnson hit $500,000 in revenue, and this year, he’ll bring in $1 million. To keep his budget lean, Johnson operates out of a coworking space in Raleigh. He has invested in getting a patent for the Blue Ridge Camping Hammock, to protect his idea.

Single when he started the business, Johnson is now married. He and his wife are expecting a baby. While that means the stakes are higher for him personally to succeed, he says, it has helped him keep his eye on growing the business.

“It’s not just me,” he says. “There are other people relying on this. That helps me focus even more.”

I am the author of The Million-Dollar, One Person Business, a Random House book looking at how everyday Americans are breaking $1 million in revenue in businesses with no employees besides the owners. A former senior editor at Fortune Small Business magazine, I have written ...